Copyright Statement

Abstract

This paper examines Apuleius’ Apologia from the perspective of its legal
context. The paper asks three questions: first, what was the legal situation in
relation to the property issues central to the motivations of Apuleius’
accusers? Second, what would the legal effects of a conviction have been on
these property concerns? And, finally, what light do our answers to these
questions shed on the Apologia itself? The applicable legal rules suggest both
that some of the concerns of the prosecutors were ill-founded and that the
prosecution would have achieved little in a legal sense in terms advancing
their alleged ends. These observations suggest several potential conclusions:
first, that Apuleius’ accusers sincerely believed their accusation of magic and
thought that it was only the magical skill of Apuleius that threatened their
aspirations to Pudentilla’s estate. Conversely, it may be that the accusers were
simply ignorant about the law, vindictive towards Apuleius, or both. Third,
that Apuleius has misrepresented his accusers’ motivations. Finally, these
conclusions on matters of law could even be taken to suggest that the speech
does not represent a genuine case, but rather is a work of fiction concocted by
Apuleius for literary purposes.